What was that saying about forests and trees?

An interesting passage in William Saletan’s otherwise ho-hum editorial on the anti-tobacco crusades:

Urine tests are a warning sign that the war on smoking is morphing into a war on nicotine. The latest target is snus, a tobacco product that delivers nicotine without smoke. Despite studies showing it’s far safer than cigarettes, most European countries allow smoking but prohibit snus. In the U.S., sponsors of legislation to regulate tobacco under the FDA are resisting amendments that would let companies tell consumers how much safer snus is. The president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids complains that snus will “increase the number of people who use tobacco,” letting “the big companies win no matter what tobacco products people use.” But the goal shouldn’t be to stamp out tobacco or make companies lose. The goal should be to save lives.

Well, I’d say that the goal “to save lives” goes a little far, as well (at least insofar as it’s done not by preventing nonsmokers’ exposure to smoking but by criminalizing smokers themselves), but whatever. You get Saletan’s drift. The anti-smoking crusade is not just about protecting innocent third parties from the potential dangers of second-hand smoke, or even “protecting” those poor smokers from themselves. It’s about the complete eradication of tobacco use and sale. Not that this observation is anything new, obviously, but it’s just nice when anti-smoking people come right out and say it (much like when anti-choice fundies let it slip that their motives are less about Loving the Embryos!!!!!!! and more about preventing The Sex).

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Have you heard about a recent story that some agency (CDC) found that tobacco companies were increasing the nicotine in cigarettes? I’d thought I’d heard that story on NPR, but when I tried to find it, no dice.

I know there was press about it in January of this year, but I’d thought there was something more recent?

Nicotine is such a powerful drug. I’m so, so glad I never started smoking! (and working on oncology studies where you get to see what it does to people makes me extra extra glad!)

As an employee of the aforementioned group, WE DO NOT WANT TO BAN TOBACCO FROM THE MARKET.

Hopefully, we’re responding to the column, because he got a few things wrong.

The problem with snus is that we can’t regulate how much nicotine is in the product. It keeps increasing each year and increasing dependency on tobacco.

Sunchaser, there was a report last about rising tobacco levels. I believe it was the Massachusetts Department of Health. They measured nicotine levels in a variety of cigarettes over the past 5-10 years and found that it had steadily increased.

Snus, or snuff, as it is more commonly known in America, became immensely popular in Sweden in the 1700s. Swedish tobacco use in general had been flourishing, until a tobacco tax was imposed in an effort to curb use. Then, in 1741, a law was passed prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 to smoke. This had the unintended effect of popularizing the use of snus. In fact, the very practice of tucking snus into your mouth–in other words, oral snus–was invented in Sweden.

Snus was expensive, and therefore used mainly by the bourgeoisie. However, once oral snus became available, usage quickly spread throughout the working classes. Swedish immigrants brought snus to the United States in the 19th and early-20th centuries. However, with few exceptions, the snus manufactured in the U.S. was of a markedly inferior quality than that produced in Sweden. One of America’s biggest snus enthusiasts was famed aviator Charles Lindbergh (who is of Swedish decent), who discovered the product after one of his trans-Atlantic flights. However, he too bemoaned the poor quality of the American-made products.

The process of making Swedish snus is specific and unique. Swedish snus is made from ground tobacco, water, salt, and other additives, usually for flavor. Because, in Sweden, snus is categorized as a foodstuff, there are strict regulations about its manufacture. There is, therefore, a high quality found in the Swedish products that is not found in snus products made anywhere else.

SwedSnus is your online home for buying this unique and popular tobacco product. Our goal is to make Swedish snus available throughout the world via our website. We don’t order the snus from the factory until we receive your order, guaranteeing you the freshest snus possible.